Mark Reads ‘Mastiff’: Part 9

In the ninth part of Mastiff, Beka and Master Farmer hunt down the prince. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Mastiff. 

I got hit with a very weird sensation while I was reading this section. There’s that part near the beginning of this journal entry where Beka stands at the rails, looking at the city of Arenaver for the first time. I realized that this was also my first time time there as a reader, and then it hit me that this would probably be the last time. I suppose I haven’t fully come to terms with the idea that this is my final Tortall book because I’ve been doing this for nearly two years. It’s just what I know. But this is it, and this is my last chance to get a look at this nation.

So I was thankful that everything felt so new here. It’s a part of this world I’d not experienced. And it was very, very quickly interrupted by Iceblade Jerkface:

Hammering footsteps came up from below. Iceblade stepped onto the deck, his hair uncombed and his clothes rumpled. “Master Farmer!” he snapped. “Farmer Cape! You are going to tell me how in Mithros’s name you managed to put a blocking spell like that on your cabin – a spell none of us could budge!”

Oh, this should go swell. THIS SHOULD BE GREAT.

Iceblade seized Master Farmer by the shoulder. “Answer me, clodhopper! How did you do it, a dolt like you?”

OH, THAT’S RICH COMING FROM YOU. But this is what he does. He believes that Farmer is a simpleton, intellectually incapable of virtually anything that’s considered honorable or talented or high class. Which is why it is so endlessly entertaining that Farmer plays into this flawed view of himself in order to further enrage Iceblade:

As slow as a tortoise in autumn, Master Farmer looked at the hand on his shoulder, then along Iceblade’s arm, and up to his face. At last he gave Iceblade a large, silly grin. “I practiced,” he said.

“Practiced?” the mage snapped, his face crimson. “You could no more do work like that with practice –”

I mean, the funny thing here is that Iceblade is so determined to view Farmer as a poor fool that he is literally claiming that Farmer can’t do such magic after Farmer just did that magic. So… yeah, my brain will break if I think too much about it. Thankfully, Pounce decides that this is the perfect time to not only leap onto Iceblade and ruin his silk robe with his claws, but he then outright disappears once Iceblade grabs him, leaving the jerk embarrassed and the butt of everyone’s joke.

I WOULD READ HUNDREDS OF PAGES OF THIS, I TELL YOU. HUNDREDS.

Iceblade doesn’t come along with the group, alas, once they’ve docked. ALAS. I expected that we’d get a long scene dealing with the intense Deputy Provost in Arenaver, since it was clear that she wanted to go through all the formalities. I was actually kind of excited to meet her because we’ve never met a woman Deputy Provost before! But while Tunstall, Lady Sabine, and Master Farmer spoke with the local Dogs, Achoo had another plan in mind:

“Achoo? I called quietly.

She replied with a near-silent whuff, one that meant “Don’t bother me, I’m busy.”

“Achoo!” I said a little louder.

She sneezed. Her tail began to wag furiously. Then she sneezed twice more. She was on a track, her nose right at her own height, on a proper scent. There was only one scent that she was supposed to be chasing right now, and she had it.

It’s with this that the intel Gershom was depending on is proven right, and HOLY SHIT. This got super tense immediately. And I think it’s a brilliant choice for Pierce to make because it’s so unexpected. I thought that they’d either never find the scent near Arenaver, or they’d find it after a day or two of searching. But minutes after they land??? It requires the party to be split: Farmer and Beka will go after Achoo while Tunstall and Lady Sabine remain behind, humoring the local Deputy Provost by going over their mission details with her. And lord, y’all, I am so eternally happy for Master Farmer, and I’m so glad that him and Beka get to spend so much time together.

Initially, though, this is just about Beka and Achoo as the two of them are on the Hunt. They come across the remains of a fair, which is where Farmer first splits from Beka. BECAUSE HE MAY HAVE FOUND A VERY IMPORTANT CLUE. Achoo focuses on a specific part of the remains of the fair, and Farmer is able to figure out that two “powerful mages” were standing there. “Looking at the slave area.” Oh. OH. OH MY GOD.

So, while Farmer is trying to “gather samples of their Gifts,” Beka and Achoo follow the scent, which takes them to the exact ferry that prince Gareth was on. But how long ago? Is it a good sign that his scent feels so fresh to Achoo? Did the ferryman remember mages towing a child along with them? I don’t think so, and while Beka gets a few sketchy vibes from him, I think he was ultimately telling the truth. Given that the mages probably used the fair to hide themselves in plain sight, it’s possible that the man simply never paid much mind to them. How many hundreds of people did he ferry across the river the past week?

Farmer and Beka are briefly reunited while on the ferry before they split up again so that Beka can stay with Achoo. As exhausting as this whole evening Hunt got, I thought it was incredibly smart of the group to not waste time in tracking the prince. Along the path, Beka constantly finds signs of a small group using a wagon to trek this same journey, so it’s hopeful that they’re not only going the right direction, but that they can cut down the lead the mages have. Sort of, I should say. When Farmer finally does catch up while Beka and Achoo are resting, it’s not long before Beka has to begrudgingly get on a horse to deal with her own exhaustion. That’ll cut down on how far they can get, but it’s not like they’re a huge group towing a bunch of supplies. Two horses, a cat, a dog, and two people. That’s it! So, in theory, they should be able to make good time.

Of course, that’s because Tunstall and Sabine are still behind them, and they might slow them down whenever they eventually catch up. But that’s all speculation, which is the only thing Farmer and Beka can do at this point. They’ve got a scent and clues to work off of, but they’re still casting themselves into a great big unknown.

SHAWLS FOREVER, by the way. SHAWLS FOREVER.

The original text contains use of the words “mad” and “crazy.”

Video 1

Video 2

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About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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